Parenting Tip: Create a folder of Bookmarks for each child
My kids love playing on the computer. I'm on the computer a lot during the day while they're in school and I often come across a site or activity that I think they would enjoy.
After a few too many "browsers of doom" where I had 12, 15 open tabs just waiting to show the kids, I started a bookmark folder for each kid. This way I can put bookmarks in for pages I think they might be interested in and then *close the webpage.* This has done wonders for my digital sanity, though I still have a digital hygeine problem as explained below.
My own bookmarks are ridiculous, I don't keep anything in there, at least not anymore in the tangle of sites I originally bookmarked in 2003. It's the curse of a visual-spatial person, I can't ever find the things I want no matter how carefully I try to create folder structures and organizational schemes. I swear my digital organization is worse than my physical organization, and that's saying something!
However, for my kids I can manage a reasonable number of bookmarks. Right? (Right??!)
Some of the tidbits in there right now:
Liam's folder:
- Crowdsourcing space exploration tool called Zooniverse that I want to be a part of, too!
- Legends of Druidawn interactive creative writing game (click the link at the very bottom of the page to see the genesis of this site - creative writing solutions it says.)
- A site to convert text to multimedia, like the bunny/mouse characters speaking in tinny computerized voices reading scripts that people wrote....whatever that one is called. Note to self, this would be great to use in Media and Design classes...
- The requisite Lego recreation of something totally AWESOME, this one is Middle Earth.
Anastasia's folder:
- Tree of Life web project - collection of information about biodiversity compiled by amatuers and experts alike.
- How to make friendship bracelets (I'm totally in the clear on the website name since she thinks WTF stands for Why the Face?)
- A music video of an 8 year old girl singing a hardcore (punk rock) song. She's always making videos herself and I think needs a little inspiration, since the script is often the limiting factor.
- A make your own snowflake picture (online) site. Love this.
So I challenge you to go forth and make a folder for each of your children and drop in fun tidbits and cool sites that they might like. Also a good place to put book recommendations, particularly if you're parenting a tween who might not want to actually ASK you for ideas. (P.S., if you don't know this about me already, know that I can talk your ear off with recommendations for books for kids ages 8-18. Please ask! Give me an excuse to talk your ear off!)
Come back and report on the great sites you found! Perhaps one day we'll do this all in pinterest... ;)